Orpiment is either yellow or orange. Orpiment crystals belong to the monoclinic crystal system, which I have written about in former posts. Orpiment is more often found in tight-packed clusters, some of which resemble a yellow dandelion’s head. Orpiment can often be found as a hot spring’s deposit, which means that the crystals grow from the mineral-rich waters of some hot springs.
Orpiment is famous for its golden color. In fact, during the Middle Ages there were some alchemists who tried to extract gold from the mineral! Ancient artists in the Middle East used orpiment to make gold-colored paint for a long time, and European artists eventually began to do the same. This use lasted for a while, but is not quite as prominent today. Once people discovered that orpiment was toxic they only used it to make a very special paint called “king’s yellow.” Today king’s yellow is made with a different compound for the most part, but you can still buy it (I know this because I found a website that sold orpiment king’s yellow while researching the mineral.) In addition to its use as a paint-maker orpiment is also used as an ore of arsenic, which is used in metallurgy.
Orpiment is found in such places as Romania, Japan, Peru, Russia, the country of Georgia, Utah, and Nevada. Since orpiment can be found as a hot springs deposit it is also found in some of the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
I have certainly had fun learning about orpiment, and I would like to thank anyone reading this for letting me share my new knowledge with them. A word of warning, though: use caution when handling orpiment--always wash your hands after handling it!
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